Dress-form.



No. 737,175. PATENTED AUG. 25, 1903'.

G. A. 'UFEORD. DRESS FORM. APPLICATION rum) MAR. 19. 1903.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 K0 MODEL.

PATENTED AUG 25 1903.

c. A. III FORD.

DRESS FORM. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 19, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

no MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 25,1903,

PATENT OFFICE.

unass- FORM.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,175, dated August 25, 1903.

Application filed March 19, 1903- To a, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. UFnoRD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Dress-Forms, of which the following 1 novel construction whereby. the form may be quickly and readily adjusted to any size or shape and securely held when'adjusted.

In making theimproved form I preferably divide'it horizontally across the bust and vertically in a plurality of different planes, and at the meeting corners of any four or more adjacent sections I place an adj usting-plate, to which the said corners'are secured and which operate to tie them together. This adj usting-plate has two 'slots,'through which ad-. justing-screws. in the corners of two of the sections pass, and two series of connected slots, through which adjusting-screws in the other corners pass. With this construction the first two sections may be moved toward and from each other to effect the required adjustment, WhllQ'thB latter two sections can be moved not only toward and from each other, but toward and from the first two sec? tions.

My invention also comprises a novel con structiomwhich will be more fully hereinafter described, by means of which the hip portion of the form may be adjusted.

Another feature of myinvention relates to the cloth covering for the papier-mach shell of the form. Heretofore it has beeucustomary to glue the cloth covering to the shell; but I have provided a detachable cloth covering which performs two functions-first, that of a cover'for the shell, and, second, that of an adjusting device to assist in giving the form any desired shape; Figure l is a front elevation of my improved form. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof; Fig. 3, a back view of the form; Fig. 4., a front view ofa modified construction. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the adjusting devices for the neck. Fig. 6 is a view of the adjustinging-plate 11, such as shown inFig. 6.

'of'the other two sections, pass. connected series of slots are herein illustrated as having the substantially parallel slots 16, which are connected by the common Serial No. 148,501. (No model.) I

plate which is employed at the meeting corners of adjacent sections. Fig. 7 isa bottom plan' view. Fig. 8 is a detail of the adjusting-screw employed, and Fig. 9 is a view of a modified form of the adjusting-plate.

The'form may be made of any suitable material, though I preferably use'papiermach or a similar material. It is divided horizontally across the bust, as at 3, and vertically from side to side, as at 4. 4

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3 the upper portion is also divided vertically from front to rear, as at 5, while the front of the lower portion is divided on the divergent lines 6 and the back on the divergent lines 7. With this manner of dividing the form it comprises two upper front sec-' tions at and Z), two upper rear sections 0 and at, three lower front sections ef g, and three lower rear sections h, i, and j. By opening or contracting the variouslines of division it will be observed that the form can be made to assume almost any desired shape. The

sections-such, for instance, asthe meeting corners 9 of the sections 0 d hj, Fig. 3, orthe meeting corners 10 .of the sections 19 c g h, Fig. Z- are adjustably secured to an adjust- This plate in this embodiment of my invention has the two independent slots 12, through which adjusting-screws l3,"passing through two of the adjacent sections, extend, and two series of connected slots, through which the adjusting-screws 15, secured to the corners Each of the slot 14.

Assuming that the plate is so placed-in Fig. 2, for instance that the adjustingscrews 13 in sections 9 and it pass through the two slots 12 and the adjusting-screws 15 in thesections dand a each pass through one slot of one of the series of connected slots, it will be observed that the sections 9 and '71 can be'adjusted toward and fromeach other and that the sections 5 and 0 can not only be advmeetingcorners of any four or more adjacent justed toward and fromleach other,but by I shifting the adjusting-screws 15 from one to;

the other of the slots of the series said sections may be adjusted toward and from sections 9 and h.

A plate similar to that described is situated wherever the dividing-lines cross each other and a plurality of meeting corners of adjacent sections are found. I will preferably provide each of the slots in the plate 11 with positioning-notches 18, which serve to hold the adjusting-screws in the desired position while they are being clamped. Where the form is divided, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, I will preferably provide the point of the V-shaped sections fand 01 at the front and back of the form with the tongue 20, which is adjustably secured to one of the plates 11 by an adjusting screw 21, which passes through the tongue and through a suitable slot 22 in the plate.

The preferred construction of adjusting screw is shown in Fig. 8, from which it will be seen that said screw passes through the shell 23 of the form and is firmly clamped thereto by means of the nut 24E. The screw is clamped to the adjusting-plate 11 by means of a winged nut 25, which operates to clamp said plate between it and the nut 24. This construction is preferable, because it permits me to firmly hold the adjusting-screw to the shell of the form independently of the means for securing the screw to the plate 11. The form is supported upon a suitable standard 30 in some suitable way. 31 designates suitable stilfening members secured to the lower portion of the form, these members being illustrated as sector shape. With the form divided as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 there are six sectonshaped members, one for each of the shell-sections e, f, g, h, t', and j. Fig. 7 illustrates the manner of adjusting the hip portion of the form. Supported on this standard 30 is a member having four slotted arms extending at substantially right angles to each other. The opposite arms 33 have adjustably secured thereto the sector-sections 31 at the front and rear of the form or those attached to the shell-sections f and t', said stifiening members being held in any adjusted position by the clamping-screws 34. The other arms have adjustably mounted thereon the transverse plates 36, which can be held in any adjusted position by the clampingscrews 37, passing through slots in arms 35. The transverse plates 36 are slotted, and adjustably secured to the ends of one plate are the stiffening members corresponding to the shell-sections e and j, and adjustably secured to the ends of the other plate are the stiffening members corresponding to the shell-sections 9 and h. In Fig. 7 the two stiffening members at each side are shown as closed together. Since, however, these stiffening members are each adjustably secured to a plate 36, they may be separated to any desired extent. This construction permits the hip portion of the form to be expanded into any desired shape, as will be obvious.

The neck portion of the form may be exable cap-nut which screws on the upper end of the standard and clamps the plates in any desired adjusted position.

In Fig. 4: I have illustrated a slightly-different way of dividing the form. Instead of making the inclined division-lines 6 and 7 I divide the form from front to rear in Vertical planes, thus making three substantially vertical dividing-lines 50 51 52, extending the full length of the figure. In addition the figure will also be divided vertically from side to side, as in Fig. 2, and horizontally across the bust, as in the other forms. In using dress-forms of this character in the dressmaking art it is essential that the shell of the form he covered with cloth to furnish material to pin to in fitting waists or garments. I-Ieretofore it has been customary to cover each section of the form separately and to fold the edges of the cloth covering around the edges of the form-sections and glue the cloth edges to the inside of the form-sections, thus permanently uniting the covering to the shell. In my improved dress-form the cloth covering is detachable from the shell. In constructing the covering I form it of individual pieces or sections, each of which corresponds to one of the sections of the form, and connect the adjacent edges of any two sections of the covering by means of suitable lacing, so that by taking up or letting out the lacings the covering may be made to tightly fit the form.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the form as having the covering applied thereto, the latter being broken away to better show the construction of the shell. It will be seen that the cover comprises the two upper front sections m and n and the lower sections 0 p g. It will be understood that the back of the cover is made of sections which correspond substantially with the back sections of the form except that the meeting edges of the sections in the back are provided with hooks and eyes for fastening them together. With this construction the cloth cover for the shell can be used to assist in adjusting the form to the right proportions, as follows:

In using the device the cover is removed from the form and applied to the person for whom the garment is to be made, and the various lacings are drawn up or let out until the cover fits exactly the figure of said person. The cover is then unhooked in the back and applied to the dress-form, after which the sections of the form are so adjusted with relation to each other as to exactly fit or conform to the fitted waist or cover. The result is that the adjusted form is an exact duplicate, so far as shape is concerned, of the person. The cover after being applied to the shell of the form performs its function of a cloth cover,

which can be pinned to in fitting the garment. I-Ieretofore it has been customary to provide a separate Waist or jacket independent from jacent sections comes slightly to one side of.

the 'gap or dividing-line of the form, as shown in Fig. 1, though this construction is not necessary. Y

I have omitted the cover from Figs. 2, 3,

and 4 in order to better show the construction 7 of the shell itself.

In some positions it may be desirable to use the form of adjusting-plate shown in Fig. 9- that is, one in which the slot 14, connecting the series of slots, is at the central portion of the plate rather than near the edgeof the plate. 7

Various changes may be made in the construction of the device without departing from the spirit of the invention.

' lation to the other sections, an adjusting- Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A dress-form having asectional shell, each section of which is adjustable with replate at the meeting corners of adjacent shellsections, and adjustable means to secure each of said corners independently to said plate.

2. A dress-form having a sectional shell, each section of which is adjustable with relation to the other sections, an adjustingplate at the meeting corners of adjacent shellsections, said plate havinga plurality of slots, and a clamping-screw passing through the corner of each form-section and engaging one of said slots.

3. In a dress-form of the class described, an adj listing-plate at the meeting corners of four adjacent form-sections, said plate having two independent slots and two series of Y connected slots, and a clamping-screw extending through the corner of each section and through one of the slots, the clamping-screws which pass through two of the sections extending through the two independent slots and the other screws passing through the two T series of connected slots.

plate-to which each of said corners is secured,

adj ustably said plate having two-independent slots and positioning-notches, and a clamping-screw extending through the meeting corner of each of said sections and extending through oneot said slots. I r

6. An adjustable dress-form divided in two intersecting planes to form three or more sections, each having a corner at a common meeting-point, a plate common to the meeting corner of each of said sections, and means to adjustably secure the meeting corner of each section to said plate.

7. A dress-form divided horizontallyacross the bust and vertically in a plurality of planes, a plate common to all the meeting corners of the adj acentsections, and independent means to secure each of said meeting corners to the corresponding plate, said means permitting twoof the adjacent sections to be adjusted toward and from each other, and thefother two sections to be adjusted toward and from each other and toward and from the first-named sections. I

8. A dress-form divided horizontallyacross the bust and verticallyin a plurality of planes, an adjusting-plate atthe meeting corners of adjacent sections, said plate having two independent slots and two series of connected slots, and an adjusting-screw passing through the corner of each section and through one of the slots.

9. A dress-form.divided vertically at its hip portion into six sections, a sector-shaped stiifening member secured to each section, an adjusting member having four arms, two of which are adj ustably connected to the stifien: ing members of the front and rear sections, a slotted plate extending transversely across and adjustable longitudinally on each of the other arms, and means to secure adjustably the remaining stiffening members to said plates.

10. In a dress-form, asectional shell, an adjusting-plate at the meeting corners of adjaoperating toclamp the adjustingplate between it and the clamping-nut whereby the sections may be adjusted on the adjustingplate without loosening the clamping-screw from the shell.

11. In a dress-form, a sectional shell having a cloth cover which may be pinned to when the form is in use, said cover'being detachable from the form and made in sections which correspond substantially to the sections of the shell, and means to adjustably unite .the meeting edges of adjacent sections of the cover, whereby the cover may be madeto conform to difierent shapes of shell.

12. In a dress-form, a sectional shell, means to adjust the sections with relation to each other, a cloth cover for the shell and detachname to this specification in the presence of able therefrom, said cover being made in sectwo subscribing Witnesses. tions which corres 0nd substantial] to the sections of the shel l and lacing uniting the CHARLES UFFORD' 5 meeting edges of adjacent sections of the Witnesses:

cover. LOUIS 0. SMITH,

In testimony whereof I have signed my LOUISE ROTHSTEIN. 

